Fly Nets On For Driving

[goodhors]

Got the string fly nets out to drive with yesterday. Those mosquitos and the little biting flies are AWFUL. Nets did seem to help, since horse fly spray does nothing to help. Did use some Mosquito spray on the uncovered parts, neck, end of rump and faces under ear covers. Not sure if that stays on when they sweat though.

We also doused ourselves, but the hovering cloud of bugs was kind of creepy! Circling, circling, trying to find ANYPLACE without spray or moving strings, to land and bite!! Haven’t seen them so bad in years. I am sure it is due to all the rain this year, usually drier by now. Just a bumper crop of bugs this year.

Weather itself is perfect for driving, cool 70F with a breeze, not much humidity, sunny with clouds. The boys are pretty fit now, did about 9 miles walk, trot, a canter section thrown in, in a good time. Love to listen to the rhythm and evenness of the gaits, them being in stride with each other slow or fast.

They will be getting body clipped this weekend for the Metamora CDE. The humidity ALWAYS jumps way up for that weekend, so horses can cool better on Marathon.

Our string nets are from Big Black Horse, sized by the backbone length. Our larger horses wear their biggest size, still leaves a bit of rump uncovered. Nets have been a GREAT investment to allow driving with the bugs, never get sweated off like some bug sprays! Easy on, easy off. They are easily washable, being all nylon. I do put them in a laundry bag with holes, keeps the strings contained, then hang to dry. We do get very sweaty horses out working, so washing nets happens often.

http://www.bigblackhorse.com/BBH01/horse-fly-net.html

Other folks use various kinds of true net coverings, blanket style with small holes for fitting over the harness for rein terrets, full neck covering and like that type. Available thru Driving equipment suppliers.

Having gone with and without the string nets, life is NICER with them to use driving the horses in the bug season. Strings move to knock off biting bugs all the time horse is moving.

[DiamondJubilee]

The bugs around us are horrible this year as well!! I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many mosquitoes in my life! I body clipped my ponies a month ago and I’ve never seen so many welts on them in my life! Poor ponies!

I do find the human kind of spray works fairly well (with deet) and I use the “sport” type which is supposed to work when wet or sweaty. I do find it helps to keep the bugs off. Hopefully they die out soon!

We will also be going to Metamora and leave super early on Wednesday. I see the forecast is hot, a bunch of rain and humidity…I hope it changes a little but its not like we can do anything about it lol!

See you there!

[Dressage_Fancy]

We had horse flies really bad one year. In desperation I used a shear curtain on my horses face. (He had a neck and body fly net over the harness.) It was a short curtain and I ran a twine through both the hems. Tied one end around his neck behind his ears and fliped the curtain over the ears and tied the other end at cavason area. Horses ears and bridle blinds kept the curtain out of the eyes and he could see just fine through the curtain. Horse was happy and bug free! And then the noisy neighbor dairy cattle saw us comming. It is the only time I have seen cattle turn tail and head for the barn instead of mobbing the fence line to stare at us!

[goodhors]

The curtain story is funny!! Especially with the cows added in. We have the ear covers, with a lot of fringes on the face, so heads usually are not too bad for the bugs.

Packing for Metamora as we speak. Just pulled the Tedman bridles out of the washing machine, have to hang for drying, then reassemble. Even after all these years, I still find being able to use the machine to clean them is amazing! The mix of Zilco, Tedman and Smuckers Marathon harnesses is next for cleaning in the barn aisle. Do love the synthetic parts!! Leather, not so much for cleaning, but it FEELS so NICE in your hands and the horses like it. The leather harnesses are not very dirty, so mostly wiping and shining up to do on them. Conditioner on the leather reins and let them dry.

Then the major job of “assembling the other stuff” needed for staying out several days, will happen. Thank heavens for lists! Daughter will horse-sit the ones left home, so that makes things easier. Back to work!

[Drive_NJ]

The last few times we have taken Cooper out he has donned his fly gear

he has decided he does NOT like the crochet ears (shakes his head much more than without them)

I really need to figure out something for his neck
our farm has bad green heads, horseflies, and deerflies and later in the summer gets the B-52s

And Cooper is a real bug weeny so we don’t get much more than half an hour before the bugs are truly awful - once he starts to really sweat

He is such a good boy I cant really blame him when he’s got half a dozen flies drilling for blood on his neck

We discovered those string fly drapes about 20 years ago when driving our crop tailed Hackney horse. His tail was actually long for a cobbed tail but not long enough for real fly protection

Now as soon as bugs are out we start using the strings - LUV THEM

[buck22]

I found this two years ago and love it

I don’t use the rump portion very often, but the neck portion will become invaluable soon when the large sight hunting flies really get bad.

I tie the neck portion right up to crownpiece of the bridle (there is a little string attached at the top and two at the base), so there is NO opening on his neck. The elastic opening snugs right up in his throatlatch. I cut holes for the terrets on the neck strap, and the base I tie around the saddle.

I tried using bonnets for the head, but after a scare having him shake off his bridle on the trail probably due to a sweaty bonnet under the bridle, I switched to a full face mask I put right over the bridle, its large enough to comfortably fit over the blinkers: http://www.statelinetack.com/item/cashel-quiet-ride-extended-nose-fly-mask-w-ears/E002183/

When the bugs are REALLY nasty, I put these on the back of the ear portion of the fly mask, they aren’t repellants as the page says, they are doubled sided stickies. Deer and strawberry flies seem to love to land on the backs of their ears, this traps them. We’ve come home with hundreds stuck on, the tape positively black with flies. The horse has to get used to the strange sound of constant buzzing by his ears (the bugs are very angry at being caught and buzz with a vengeance) but its gratifying to take all of those pests out of the system. That many fewer to breed and attack us the next time out.

On his breast plate and girth I hang my old shooflies from my western gear, that takes care of bugs on the lower chest and forearms.

Finally I put polos on my boy when the flies are bad to keep him from stomping. I spray the polos with permerthin to keep ticks from wanting to crawl up.

Only thing I can’t control is the big B52s and greenheads. At least the B52s are big enough to swat with the whip and prefer the top of the main body. The greenheads are horrible and love to chew my boy between his legs where there is just no helping him, so our only option is to keep moving at a good pace when we’re in greenhead territory.

Greenheads are the reason I don’t use the rump portion of the fly suit, as they go under the horse and then fly up, they get caught under the suit. Fortunately my boy is patient when its happened, but its just not worth it.

Have a great time at Metamora!!!

[Drive_NJ]

that is what I LOVE about the string sheets
the hang down to below the elbows
the strings are about an inch apart
but the whole sheet wiggles

we rarely have anything land on Coopers BODY
and nothing can get trapped in the strings cuz they are open and the wiggle seems to brush them away

our problem is the NECK haven’t found the right thing to keep the flies off that
so they just land and DRILL
and then you get the horse-head-shakes

WHY did NOAH bring the bugz on the ark??

[gothedistance]

our farm has bad green heads, horseflies, and deerflies and later in the summer gets the B-52s

The only thing I found that works for the green heads and deerflies is Deep Woods Off.

What works to make your horse “invisible” from horseflies and stable flies is pharmacy-grade garlic powder in their feed. At least 1/4 to 1/2 oz a day. Amazing what it does to the body chemistry - and I’ve seen the massive horse flies just go right past. Never land on my guys, or even see them. :encouragement::applause: However, the garlic-inspired blood chemistry change doesn’t divert the deer and green headed flies. Deet does. My guys go out with their white, or powder blue (which is said to be a natural color fly repellant) ear nets which are pre-sprayed with Deep Woods Off. They aren’t plagued by any flying critter the entire drive. However, sometimes I am (being the only target not protected), so I carry a can of DWO with me, just in case.

And Noah had nothing to do with flies during the flood. Even if he banned them, those pests just hoovered over the Ark, waiting for the water to die down. :lol:

[Trakehner]

I like the string scrim sheets…they work for the body (especially when spraying them with bug spray, the cotton soaks it in. I use the Cashel thin fly masks with ears. For the neck…just slathering on the Off Deep Woods. Also use the concentrated Permethrin made up fresh and douse my beast with that. It’s when 5 of the big black horse bombers come out, now that can be interesting.

[buck22]

our problem is the NECK haven’t found the right thing to keep the flies off that
so they just land and DRILL
and then you get the horse-head-shakes

Really, investigate the neck portion of the Cashel bug armor suit I posted, it really does work like a dream. However, while its borderline swimming on my 14.3h morgan with his swan-like neck, it may not fit a draft draft/x, I don’t know that it comes in sizes.

What about a detachable neck scrim like this?
http://www.sstack.com/horse-blankets-and-sheets_fly-sheets-sun-protection_mosquito-mesh-fly-sheets/mosquito-mesh-big-fella-neck-cover/

[buck22]

What works to make your horse “invisible” from horseflies and stable flies is pharmacy-grade garlic powder in their feed.

I really hope this is true :lol: my horses are on garlic this year. I started them very early, while there was still snow on the ground, so I could avoid building up a colony to begin with. While I can’t lay claim to no flies, we have far fewer and the big sight hunters haven’t been horrible like they can be, but its early yet in the season for us.

[Drive_NJ]

AND your feed tubs smell like a pizzeria ! ! !

we used to use the Springtime Bugg-Off garlic

we did not find enough of a difference to continue with it
tried it for4-5 years